


Tides of Time

by rolypoly_panda



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Carrying, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Nightmares, Number Five | The Boy Has Feelings, Number Five | The Boy Has Issues, Number Five | The Boy Needs A Hug, Number Five | The Boy has PTSD, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, This is some soft shit, Underage Drinking, because im weak for toddler-carrying lmao, five is literally carried around like the child he is, its adorable dont stop me, kinda cuz he isnt 13 but he is 13 and its wildin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:41:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26956000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rolypoly_panda/pseuds/rolypoly_panda
Summary: It's rare that Five sleeps. It's even more rare that it's in another person's presence. Naturally, when thisdoeshappen, the siblings are left reeling, unsure of what to do. After all, is someonesupposedto tuck in the consciously fifty-eight-year-old, physically thirteen-year-old time-travelling assassin with a body count in the hundreds?Or, five times Five fell asleep around someone, and they took care of him, cherishing the moment, and one time everyone else fell asleep around him, and he cherished it.Based off ofthis postby disco-tea! Thanks!
Relationships: Number Five | The Boy & Allison Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy & Diego Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy & Klaus Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy & Luther Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy & Vanya Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy (Umbrella Academy) & Everyone
Comments: 23
Kudos: 452





	Tides of Time

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jameena](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jameena/gifts).



> All copyright content doesn't belong to me. All characters belong to Gerard Way and Netflix.

_One._

The film turned out to be a complete bore, unfortunately. Luther had chosen this one because he had hoped the history would interest Five, but alas, the dumb thing lacked substance. The music was slow, the visuals were weak, and the dulcet narration had Luther's head bobbing as he struggled to stay awake. Originally, Luther had shied away from the documentary because he had worried that Five would remember things, things that he would rather forget from his time in the Commission or during the apocalypse. But by the way he had perked up a bit at the summary, Luther had turned it on.

"What's that about?" Five had asked, eyebrow perked as he glanced over his coffee mug.

Luther had said, "World War I. About the technology and trench warfare, I think…"

With that, Five had settled on the sofa a distance from Luther, sitting awkwardly, as if he hadn't known what to do with his body. Or, perhaps it was _Luther_ he had no idea what to do with…

Though as the minutes passed, Five relaxed, settling further into the cushions. His knees were no longer knocked together, his coffee quickly finished and mug left on the table in front of them. By the half-hour mark, Five was leaning back, calm and blinking slow as the film played. By forty-five minutes, they were both watching with heavy-lidded eyes. And by the time an hour rolled around, Luther had stopped paying attention to Five because he had been falling asleep himself.

He hoped Five was enjoying the documentary, at least...

After all, they only had a few hours of quiet together before everyone else flocked home.

The other Hargreeves usually made Five shy away into his room, working tediously on his equations and calculations. What there was to calculate, Luther wasn't sure. If he were to guess, it was Five trying to occupy himself. After all, their brother wasn't exactly known for his patience. So as Klaus and Allison crowded the kitchen, and Diego and Vanya bickered from across the foyer, Five would hide.

Finally, after days of the academy packed to the brim, there was silence.

Allison had gone to see Claire, and Diego was on a date with someone. Klaus had vanished, but he did that often enough that Luther wasn't worried. And Vanya had gone to a concert rehearsal. Which had left him and Five alone in the giant academy…

Luther sighed heavily, forcing himself to stay awake. He zoned out as the black and white pictures dramatically zoomed in at a grueling pace, the British narrator's voice making it harder and harder to keep his eyes open.

The last thing he wanted to do was pass out. He didn't want to make Five feel embarrassed about his interest in movies, but then again, Luther wasn't sure _what_ the little guy would feel. Maybe he would be just fine with it. Underneath the hardened ex-assassin exterior was his thirteen-year-old brother, though. And Luther could clearly remember _that_ version of Five being so humiliated about someone finding his interests boring that he would outright attack them.

Luther shifted, blinking harder.

Damn him for turning off the lights. And damn him for getting comfortable. Five had the right idea by sitting upright on the couch, for the most part. It was keeping him awake. Luther had sprawled out, his feet kicked up on the coffee table, his arms loose around his stomach. That couldn't have been helping his exhaustion any.

With a grunt, he made to sit straighter.

Something soft nudged his arm. Luther glanced down.

Five was asleep.

He tensed reflexively. The first thing that flashed across his mind was that it must have been a joke. Because there was no way Five would fall asleep out in the open without reason, right? That was impossible, _right?_ With his cheek squished to Luther's arm and his eyebrow twitching sporadically, it certainly didn't _look_ like a joke. But the only time Luther had seen Five asleep was when he had gotten shitfaced in the public library.

Back then, Five had woken only to chastise him and Diego while heading for Diego's place. After vomiting three times in a span of a few seconds, Five had stayed passed out, near-feverishly hot in Luther's arms thanks to the alcohol. Diego had carried his mannequin - Dolores - the rest of the way, and Five hadn't even protested it. After Diego had left, Luther was alone. Alone with Five. Five, who had been twitching and mumbling in his sleep the entire time. Five, who had jerked awake with a strangled gasp, his eyes empty and haunted, lost in the past. He had vomited again, nearly getting sick on Diego's bed if not for Luther's quick thinking.

Right now, though, Luther knew that Five wasn't drunk. There was nothing but coffee in his mug, and he would have smelled any alcohol the little guy used to spice up his caffeine. Five was completely sober and somehow also _completely_ passed out, slumped into Luther's side. His eyes jumped behind his lids. An eyebrow quirked up and he murmured something nonsensical.

Luther sighed heavily.

Five's head was a quiet weight against his upper arm, and his breathing was smoothed out. It was the first time he truly looked relaxed. No apocalypse, no Commission, no doomsday clock, no calculations on the wall…

Just sleep.

Luther tuned out the movie, instead focusing on Five. He still looked relatively serious with arms crossed over his chest, but he wore a softened expression, unlike the usual tension he carried in his jaw, in his brow. It was reassuring to say the least. The guy never seemed to take a break, and if there was anything Luther understood well, it was the life of one who worked nonstop.

With another sigh, this one softer with contentment, Luther resigned himself for the long haul: there was no chance of him moving and waking Five up.

* * *

_Two._

Diego kept catching Allison's eyes in the rearview mirror. They crinkled at the corners, her lashes fluttering as a sigh escaped her. With the soft thrumming music filling the car, he couldn't hear her laugh, but Diego suspected it must have been there since it was present with everyone else. Luther, from behind him, had raised his eyebrow in amusement. From the passenger's seat, Klaus snapped another picture and cackled something. At his right, Vanya smiled warmly, but otherwise said nothing.

And Five stayed conked out, slumped against Diego's side.

His hair curled at where his temple was pushed into Diego's arm, his breaths heavy but even. He kicked off a shitton of heat, making Diego more uncomfortable than anything, but it wasn't like he was about to move and wake Five up. Diego wasn't stupid; Five rarely slept, rarely ate, and rarely had a moment to relax. So, when Allison had finally managed to wrangle him and get him to agree to a family outing, Diego had figured he would keep his mouth shut about everything that he could have nitpicked. Five had snacked, had relaxed, had lost the tension he had always held in his jaw and shoulders as the night went on, and as they clambered into Allison's SUV for the ride home, he had eased into the seat between him and Vanya, not even holding an argument with Klaus for the passenger's seat. He passed out not even ten minutes into the drive.

There was no point in waking him, now, anyways, Diego knew. They only had a few more minutes before they reached the academy, and Diego didn't want to be trapped next to the grumpy bastard if he could help it. So he stayed still. Gritting his teeth against his siblings' snickers, Diego focused on the landmarks that whizzed by, counting down the seconds until they were home and Five became someone else's problem.

As Allison pulled into the drive, he took a deep breath. Diego glanced around the car, wondering who was going to deal with Five. He could shrug him off onto Luther to carry, or maybe Klaus, because the flea never did any of the heavy lifting. Though, Vanya was far more accepting, and Allison was patient as hell...

The car shifted into park. Allison turned it off, keeping the keys in the center of her palm to mute the sounds. Without the radio playing, it had been incredibly quiet. Five's deep breaths filled the cricket-spotted silence.

Klaus was the first one out. He popped Diego's door for him, then winked, whispering, "You two look _adorable_."

Diego swatted at him with his free hand. It jostled Five, but not enough to wake him. That, in itself, was odd. Five wasn't necessarily known for his deep sleep, having _literally_ kicked Diego in the back of the shins a number of times because he had accidentally woke him up in the middle of the night _somehow_ despite being a ten rooms away.

"Wow, he's really out, huh?" Luther huffed from behind him. Vanya brought her seat down so that he could clamber out after her. Allison turned and took her own picture. Once outside, Luther asked, "You're carrying him, right?"

" _Hell_ no." Diego scoffed. He bit down his insult and, instead, mumbled, "I...Someone wake him up already." Because he wasn't going to be responsible for that. He didn't want to shoulder the blame nor the angry man-child when he beat the shit out of the person who tore him from his beauty sleep. "I mean it. Someone grab him."

Allison made a weak sound of protest. "And get punched? No thanks." She slid out of the car and closed her door, locking the car. Diego's door was still propped open, the overhead light illuminating the stupid situation Diego was stuck in. Allison wagged her hand at him. "Make sure you fully close the door when you get out."

Vanya waved sheepishly. "See you two inside."

With that, they trotted off, leaving him alone.

Diego sighed. Slowly, he reached between them and popped his belt, then Five's, making sure the metal didn't smack the old bastard in the face as it retracted. Maneuvering Five's limp arms around the strap was easier than he thought it would be. Diego had braced himself for Five to wake up, but no such moment came. Instead, he stayed knocked out, completely lax in both body and expression, not even stirring. It was odd, but almost comforting to see. Because if Five could relax despite the hell they had all endured, then Diego was convinced any one of them could.

He got out as carefully as possible, taking Five with him. It wasn't necessarily strange being so gentle with him, but it didn't feel natural. Even as kids, he and Diego fist-fought constantly, never giving one another a break. For the first time since Five's arrival, Diego felt as if he were _actually_ dealing with a thirteen-year-old little brother rather than a fifty-eight-year-old geriatric assassin.

Diego hauled Five up into his arms, popping him up to rest against his hip. Five's forehead fell flat to his shoulder, his heavy breaths warm against Diego's neck. Closing the car door, he made for the academy. Five's limp limbs swayed with every step they took. Up the stairs, down the halls, in Five's bedroom, the kid stayed asleep, an ever present solidity against his side.

* * *

_Three._

Allison glanced Five over carefully. He glared right back at her, his eyes sharp with frustration. Between them, the bottle of melatonin sat, uncapped, ready to take. And yet, Five refused. He needed it, he _should_ take it, but he refused.

Not a single sibling was as stupid as Five seemed to take them for. They could all hear him talking to himself in the early hours of the night, wide awake, unable to rest. On the flip side, his strangled cries echoed through the halls whenever he jolted awake from a nightmare, unable to stop himself from screaming before waking fully. His ego was fragile, they had all decided, and so they had promised to keep everything under wraps lest they humiliate Five. But Allison was on the verge of bringing it up. If it meant a good night's sleep for all, she was willing to knock Five down a peg or twenty and get him to take the _goddamn_ melatonin.

His sleepless nights were catching up to him, anyways. He had to have known that it wasn't healthy for his growing body. The skin under his eyes were a deep purple, looking bruised, and he was growing thinner, more pale, weaker by the day. All because he rarely slept.

"Just _try_ it." Allison said once again. "Just _half_ of one, even. Here..." She stood, grabbing a butter knife and bringing it back to the table. Five watched her diligently as she pulled a pill out and cut it in two. He looked almost enticed by it, but the key word had been _almost_ because, ultimately, he held his ground firm and scowled back at her attempt. She pushed again, "Come _on_ , Five. Just...What are you so afraid of?"

The fact that he hadn't teleported away was proof to her that he needed the rest, that he _needed_ the medication. He was too weak to run.

Nonetheless, he spat, " _No._ "

"Then leave." Allison let her eyebrow pop up. He looked uncomfortable. She leaned into it, all accusatory and passive-aggressive. "Why don't you just blink upstairs. Be done with me."

Five sneered, a twisted little smile pulling at his lips. "You'll just _nag_ me until I take it. I might as well shut you up here and now rather than later."

"Too bad I'm stubborn." She narrowed her eyes.

He mirrored her. "I got _all_ night."

But he didn't. Surely he could feel the exhaustion that he was radiating. Five looked as if he were going to tip over at any moment. Allison frowned. She had gotten plenty of sleep last night, and it was only ten; she could fight with him, wait for him to cave, but she didn't want him to have to suffer through those hours. Hours that he could be using to catch up with his body's demands. How he could ignore the weight of it for so long was beyond her.

There had to be a reason why...

Perhaps it had been because he didn't want to listen to her, and that he would try it once he was alone. But Five wasn't normally that petty, and didn't really care whose idea something was. Perhaps something in the apocalypse made him hesitate, or maybe something at the Commission--

Or, no.

Allison deflated. Her chest ached in sympathy.

The apocalypse. The Commission _._ The death.

The _nightmares_...

"I'll stay with you." Allison suggested abruptly. Five's face flattened with annoyance. She continued, "How about I stay with you, and you just...try it. I'll wake you up if you're having a nightmare."

Five went rigid. His eyes darkened with a wildfire of anger, of _humiliation_ that burned his ears bright red. His voice cracked as he snapped, "Absolutely _not._ "

"Five." She reached across the table for his hands.

He retracted them before she could get to him. "No." he repeated.

Allison continued, "I'm not judging you. You know that." She took advantage of his silence, gingerly leaning closer, trying to make herself look smaller. "I...I know that you've gone through some stuff, okay? I just want to help."

"No." Five shakily rose from the table. He leaned heavily against it, blinking hard, breathing harder. There was a sway in his step as he shoved away and made for the kitchen's exit.

Before he could get far, she swept up the bottle and split pill. Allison scurried after him, stopping him before he could reach the stairs with a light hand on his shoulder. When he whipped around, she held the pills out. "Just take it with you, okay?"

"I don't want medication." Five spat. There was no heat to his insult as he said, "I'm not going to end up being a junkie like Klaus."

Allison rebutted, "It's not addictive, Five. Just the natural thing your brain produces. It'll help."

"Right." He snorted a sour laugh. His face contorted, then, as if he wasn't sure what emotion he wanted to show. It flickered between anger, and pain, then agony, then an attempt at neutrality that failed as he whispered weakly, "I don't want to sleep, Allison."

"But you need it." She added gingerly. "You _need_ it, Five. So, please. For me. Just...try it. One time. And if it doesn't work or you have really bad nightmares, then--"

"Shut up about that!" Five cut her off. His shout reverberated through her, his eyes glittering with anger. "I'm _fine._ "

Allison nodded. "I know." She reached for his hand again. He flinched back. "I...Five, just because you've...gone through things, and have _trauma--_ " Five growled at the word. "--doesn't mean that you're not strong. Because you are. You're the strongest one of us all, I'm pretty sure..."

He rolled his eyes, but her words were sinking in, leaving him malleable, showing his true colors, his true _exhaustion._ "I don't need this..." he mumbled. Though, he wasn't fighting her anymore. Allison took it as an invitation, taking his hand into her own. He was freezing cold, his fingertips practically ice against the hot skin of her palm.

"I think you do." Allison said softly. Unfolding his fingers, she fit the melatonin into his hand. She took a step back, then, and then another, giving him the space she thought he needed. Instinctively, he seemed to gravitate towards her, leaning into her space.

His shoulders dropped as he turned away, chuckling a curse out. "I can't believe I'm..." He shook his head. Five stared at her knees, her stomach, anywhere but her eyes as he asked, "Does it--Can I-- _The dreams_...Can I wake up from the dreams? On my own? Or am I just...stuck there..."

Allison shrugged. "I don't know. Don't remember, really. I've only used it a few times when we were filming early and I couldn't sleep." But before he could shy away from the pills, she added. "Let me stay with you. I'll wake you up. I promise."

A long moment passed, and for a second, Allison thought he would tell her to fuck off.

Five nodded curtly. He licked his lips, weighing the bottle in his hands. Without a word, Five made for his room. Allison followed after him a few paces behind, aiming to give him as much space as he needed. Crowding him was not what she wanted to do, scared to see him lash out in panic. 

He guided them into his bedroom. Sluggishly, as if the sleeplessness was catching up to him, Five began to clear a chair pushed into the corner of his room. "Sorry I don't have somewhere...better...or something."

Allison waved him off. "It's okay." When he moved away, she grabbed the arms of the chair and began carrying it closer.

He froze, glaring up at her.

Pausing mid-waddle with the chair propped against her, Allison asked, "Is...Is this okay?" She held her breath.

He didn't respond at first.

Then, Five nodded. He freed a pill, then, and popped it down his throat dry.

Allison set the chair down as Five flopped back on top of his covers. Within seconds, his eyes were sliding shut. Allison hadn't even sat down yet. She flicked off his lights and took a seat, the rickety wood creaking under her weight. Carefully, Allison set her hand over his, brushing her thumb over his scarless knuckles, down the side of his hand. At his wrist, his pulse ran, quick and light with anxiety. She pretended not to notice.

Soon enough, Five's breaths evened out. Allison knew the moment sleep took him because his face went smooth, void of the pull in the center of his brow where he had frowned a constant crease into existence. He truly looked his age when he was relaxed and not spitting expletives left and right. Allison smiled softly. She didn't dare move her hand away from his lest he wake up, or worse, had a nightmare. After all, she had a promise to keep.

* * *

_Four._

Never, once in his life, had Klaus seen Five sleeping. He had figured that Five sleeping was similar to some cryptid, like the Moth Man: never seen, but always said to exist. Ever since they were kids, Klaus hadn't believed Five was _capable_ of sleeping, of even _relaxing._ He would always work, always run rampant. Whether he was training or doing something for Hargreeves or whatever, Five was busy. Grass was green. The sky was blue. And Five was _busy._

Yet, there he was, slumped against the bar with a drink in hand, dead fucking asleep.

He huffed a sigh because _of course_ Five would get shitfaced when _Klaus_ was the only one in the academy to clean up the mess. He shuffled forward, scowling, struggling to keep his slippers on as the old wood floors threatened to snag them by their loose strings. "Okie-dokie, Hawaii Five-O," Klaus planted his hands on his hips as he overlooked his itty-bitty brother. "Time for bed, buckaroo." He nudged Five's leg with his slipper-clad foot.

Five didn't stir.

He stank of alcohol, though. How _lovely_ for Klaus.

So long as the kid didn't choke on his own vomit, he was content with just leaving him there. But with the angle of his back, and his neck craned awkwardly on his arm - an arm that was very likely asleep, judging by the position - Klaus felt a twinge of secondhand discomfort. He had been there many times before, left behind at a party to slump in his own pitiful drug-induced slumber. It was never fun waking in such a state, and the welling feelings of utter _betrayal_ at the friends who had abandoned him as such always stung something fierce. It had been _extra_ fierce when some _asshole_ drew a dick on his face, though...

Slowly, Klaus inched closer. "Five-y...?" He ruffled the little dude's hair a bit. Klaus sighed: he remembered when his hair was that soft and full of life. Maybe he needed new conditioner. Off in thought, he distantly mumbled, "Hello? Anyone home?" Poking a finger to Five's forehead, Klaus found that, indeed, there wasn't a goddamn residence left in the old man Five's noggin.

Ah, to be black-out drunk. Klaus didn't envy Five's upcoming hangover.

"Okay, let's go, buddy-o." As carefully as he could, Klaus maneuvered Five's arms over his shoulders and hauled him up onto his back. The kid wasn't exactly what Klaus would dictate as "heavy", but it wasn't exactly comfortable carrying him up the stairs. All while the floors were trying to eat his slippers, too.

Klaus tapped Five's bedroom door open with the toe of his slipper and stepped in. He glanced around at the nonsensical scribbles across the wall with a raised eyebrow. It were as if he had just entered an alien's lair. But then again, Klaus had always thought that Five had been grown in a lab rather than born. The little bastard had always been that creepy, slightly crazy genius.

Klaus sat on the edge of Five's bed and released his hold on the backs of Five's knees. He straightened his spine and let Five tip back, flopping onto his mattress soundlessly. The stink of alcohol lingered behind. Klaus turned and grabbed a knit throw blanket from off the floor. He tossed it over Five's body, only making a bit of a face when it flattened over Five's nose and mouth. Being able to breathe _was_ an important step in his brother's drunken recovery, after all. Klaus yanked the hem down and, with that crisis averted, he rolled Five onto his side before pulling away--

Five grabbed his wrist tightly. Klaus swallowed his yelp.

Under his breath, with his eyes still closed, Five mumbled, "Shhht'he fuck'p..."

Klaus shrank back. Gently tugging on his imprisoned wrist had proved useless, and Klaus wasn't about to wake a still-tipsy ex-assassin from his sleep. He begrudgingly settled on the floor next to Five's head and whipped out his phone. Sure, he wasn't comfortable at all, and _he_ was the one that would have to worry about an asleep arm and aching back in the morning, but at least Five was asleep and, for once in his hectic life, _quiet._

* * *

_Five._

There had been three instances in which Vanya had tried to get Five to sleep on her couch.

The first had been when he had initially arrived after decades passed, still the same thirteen-year-old boy that she had loved and lost. His eyes had been weathered by time and hardened with trauma, but he had still been Five. Still her brother. When asking him to stay the night, Vanya had known that he would likely run before he could sleep. But it had been worth the try, worth the _offer_ to make sure that Five had a place to stay.

The second time had been in the sixties. After the dust had settled, Vanya had found him sitting on the edge of Sissy’s sofa, heavily curled into himself, staring off. He had lost a part of himself, she had known. Exactly what had been lost, Vanya hadn’t been able to tell, but he had looked exhausted and his hands wouldn’t stop shaking. Vanya had given him a blanket and had said, “You can sleep. I’ll wake you up in an hour?”

Both times, Five had disappeared the moment she had turned her back.

The third was now, _right_ now, and Vanya was determined to get him to rest. She had cornered him in the living room of the academy, catching him with his legs stretched out and head flat to the couch cushions. The moment Vanya had walked in, he had blinked down at her, his whole body going rigid.

He had said, “Vanya” and that was all.

Vanya had wordlessly sat on the floor by his feet. She had turned on the TV and settled back. Her hope had been to create a calming environment where he could rest, where for just a _second_ he had a moment of reprieve. Allison had always been the mother hen of the family, running back and forth and making sure everyone was healthy and happy, even as kids. Though, Vanya now found herself slipping into the role with ease. Sure, she may have been a bit clumsier than her sister, and her methods weren’t nearly as tender, but she willed the outcome to be the same. She wanted to create a place of peace for them all. For her brother, who never slept, who never ate, who never did anything but work.

With a sigh, Vanya re-folded her legs into a crisscrossed shape. She glanced over her shoulder. Five’s head was turned sideways. He blinked slow at the TV screen, seemingly transfixed by the sappy soap opera mumbling in the background. Vanya sighed. He may not be sleeping, but at least he looked calm.

Five asked, softly yet abruptly, “What’re you looking at?”

Vanya shrugged. She whipped around to face the TV. “Nothing…”

Five hummed. A long moment passed as Vanya waited for Five to respond. At his silence, she turned around once again. His eyes were closed, his arms folded over his stomach and moving with every deep breath he took. At first, Vanya thought he was just resting. But then his leg twitched, his dress shoe nudging between her shoulder blades. It didn’t hurt, but it startled her enough to make her gasp in surprise.

Getting to her feet, Vanya toed off her boots and tiptoed to the other sofa, pulling a knitted blanket off the back. It had been one Grace had made, decades ago, still upheld even after years of going unused. She shook it out, the creases disappearing instantly as she stretched it a bit and shuffled over to Five. Carefully, Vanya let the blanket fall over him, cautious to keep it from covering his face.

“What’re y’doing…?” Five mumbled, voice thick with sleep. He kept his eyes shut.

Vanya didn't stop her ministrations. “Nothing. Go back to sleep.”

He hummed, again, and she settled down once more, this time by his shoulders. She listened to his breathing even out, ignoring the movie. Everything felt so incredibly peaceful and _right_ , and Vanya relaxed into the feeling. Minutes of silence passed, then an hour, and as the movie’s credits rolled by, Vanya’s head was tipped back and her eyes were shut. She, too, was drifting off. Sometime during the movie, Five had rolled over, completely boneless in his sleep. His hand had flopped against her, making her flinch, but upon realizing he had still been out cold, Vanya had smiled. Now, the light weight of Five’s hand against her shoulder the only thing keeping her from standing and going to take a nap in her room.

After all, she couldn’t risk moving and waking him up, and what was another few minutes of letting him catch up on the hours of sleep he had likely missed? It was worth it to her to see him comfortable after decades of fighting.

* * *

_Plus One._

They had all passed out during moving night. To be fair, "moving night" had been more like "movie-at-one-in-the-morning" after Five had woken them all up with his sharp scream. He had sounded mortified when they had barreled into his room, explaining, "It was just a _dream_ , you fucking _morons._ Get out of my room!"

Things had been thrown, and Allison and Vanya had insisted knowing whether or not he was okay, when Klaus had ultimately shouted above them all, "How about we watch a movie!"

And so they had. All six of them had climbed into various spots on the floor. Luther had carried the sofa and coffee table out of the way, allowing them to throw down blankets and pillows and make their own nests before flipping on the TV. It had been Diego's idea to watch _Interstellar_.

In the beginning, they had all blabbered over the movie. Ben had nudged Klaus to turn on the subtitles because he hadn't seen it before. Annoyingly, Klaus rarely watched movies, which meant _Ben_ rarely watched movies, too. More often than not, Klaus was busy partying and being social and Ben was dragged along with him, tied at the waist with nowhere else to go. Ben had enjoyed movies when he was alive, and being dead hadn't been an exception. After all, they were only getting better and better. _Interstellar_ had mesmerizing environments and beautiful music, of which would have moved him to tears could he actually cry...

Alas, he sat behind the six, watching the movie until the credits rolled and the title screen popped up.

Not a single sibling moved.

Ben sighed.

Klaus was curled into a cocoon of blankets that had been dragged from all areas of the house: the living room, his bedroom, _Diego's_ bedroom. Luther and Allison were side by side and breathing in sync. Vanya had her back curled to Five's side and towards Diego. Diego was practically face-down and completely motionless, looking more like a corpse than Ben did, and that was _saying something_. And Five--

Five jerked awake. Completely silent. He clapped a hand over his mouth to stifle his hesitant shout as his eyes went wide. A moment later, he relaxed, letting his arm fall to his lap. A shaky sigh worked through him. He stared ahead at nothing, looking half-conscious and tipping forward with every passing moment. It would suck if he face-planted. Ben made to wake Klaus, reaching over the others to grab his shoulder.

Vanya stirred and Five startled.

Glancing down at her, Five tensed. He laid back down and closed his eyes.

In the darkness, Ben could barely make out Vanya's voice as she whispered, "Five? You okay?"

Before he could say anything, Allison mumbled, "What's going on...?"

"Five's awake." Vanya said.

Five folded his arms tight across his chest. "Shut up. Go back to sleep."

Allison reached over and snaked an arm around Five's scrawny waist, making him jump upright once again as he flinch away. Allison mumbled, "Shh, it's fine. Come here."

"No." Five's voice was flat, edging on irritation. He swatted at her.

Vanya patted his arm gently before pushing, guiding him back to laying down. Allison tugged again, this time successful in scooting him up against her. Vanya shimmed towards them.

Heavy with sleep, Diego murmured, "Why'd you move? You're my heating pad..."

"What's going on?" Klaus asked from the outskirts of the pile of people.

Diego rolled end-over-end until he rammed into Vanya. She made a muffled 'oof' sound as she was forcibly nudged against Five. Five scowled, " _Watch it_ , Number Two."

"Fuck off." Diego growled. His eyes were already closed again.

Klaus inch-wormed to the pile, ramming himself right up against Diego. Luther, from the other side of Allison, patted Five's chest with a heavy hand. "You okay, Five?"

Five let his eyes shut once more. He hummed in response.

Ben sat back on his haunches, unable to keep the mushy smile from scrunching his entire face up. He leaned into the sensation, the weightless feeling of untainted happiness as he glanced over his brothers and sisters. "God, I love you guys..." he whispered, knowing full well they couldn't hear him. He was thankful for that, though.

Ben would have hated to have woken them up.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Check out the [Tumblr](https://itty-bitty-rampaging-committee.tumblr.com/) if you desire. There are gifs. And...shitposting, I suppose.
> 
> This is for the lovely Jameena, because I said I'd upload something to prove I am, indeed, a human. Also because I have a fuckton of angst in my profile, and I gotta round that shit out.
> 
> Once more, thank you to everyone who was super encouraging and letting me have some space! I feel good about both these pieces being uploaded tonight!
> 
> Okay, it's almost 4am. I'm outtie!


End file.
